Now at that time a brother named Subhadda, who had been received into the order in his old age, was seated there in their company.  And Subhadda the old addressed the brethren and said:  “Enough, brethren!  Weep not, neither lament!  We are well rid of the great Samana.  We used to be annoyed by being told, ‘This beseems you, this beseems you not.’  But now we shall be able to do whatever we like; and what we do not like that we shall not have to do!”

But the venerable Maha Kassapa addressed the brethren, and said:  “Enough, my brethren!  Weep not, neither lament!  Has not the Blessed One formerly declared this to us, that it is in the very nature of all things near and dear unto us that we must divide ourselves from them, leave them, sever ourselves from them?  How then, brethren, can this be possible—­that whereas anything whatever born, brought into being, and organized contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution—­how then can this be possible that such a being should not be dissolved?  No such condition can exist!”

Now just at that time four chieftains of the Mallas had bathed their heads and clad themselves in new garments with the intention of setting on fire the funeral pile of the Blessed One.  But, behold, they were unable to set it alight!  Then the Mallas of Kusinara said to the venerable Anuruddha:  “What, Lord, can be the reason, and what the cause, that four chieftains of the Mallas who have bathed their heads, and clad themselves in new garments, with the intention of setting on fire the funeral pile of the Blessed One, are unable to set it on fire?”

“It is because you, O Vasetthas, have one purpose, and the spirits have another purpose.”

“But what, Lord, is the purpose of the spirits?”

“The purpose of the spirits, O Vasetthas, is this:  ’That venerable brother Maha Kassapa is now journeying along the high road from Pava to Kusinara with a great company of the brethren, with five hundred of the brethren.  The funeral pile of the Blessed One shall not catch fire, until the venerable Maha Kassapa shall have been able reverently to salute the sacred feet of the Blessed One.’”

“Even according to the purpose of the spirits, so, Lord, let it be!”

Then the venerable Maha Kassapa went on to Makuta-bandhana of Kusinara, to the shrine of the Mallas, to the place where the funeral pile of the Blessed One was.  And when he had come up to it, he arranged his robe on one shoulder; and bowing down with clasped hands he thrice walked reverently round the pile; and then, uncovering the feet, he bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Blessed One.  And those five hundred brethren arranged their robes on one shoulder; and bowing down with clasped hands, they thrice walked reverently round the pile, and then bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Blessed One.

And when the homage of the venerable Maha Kassapa and of those five hundred brethren was ended, the funeral pile of the Blessed One caught fire of itself.  Now as the body of the Blessed One burned itself away, from the skin and the integument, and the flesh, and the nerves, and the fluid of the joints, neither soot nor ash was seen:  and only the bones remained behind.